Bright Lights, Big City
by gb1076
Summary: Damon Salvatore is a small town boy who made good in the Big Apple. He has a successful job on Wall Street and he's about to marry the beautiful Elena Gilbert, but what happens when Bonnie Bennett shows up into his life again? Will having her there in New York make Damon remember where he came from? Read and find out! *This will NOT be a long story. I've learned my lesson.* BAMON!
1. Chapter 1

Damon Salvatore was so distracted by the small girl across the street that he almost shut his fiancée's hand up in the car door.

"Damon!" Elena Gilbert hollered, stopping the door just in time, looking up at him with her doe eyes from the passenger seat of the expensive black Audi.

He didn't even acknowledge her, his piercing blue eyes still glued to what was going on across the street from where they were parked.

"Hey, I know that girl...but what the hell is she doing in New York City?"

Elena followed his gaze, turning her head from her position in the car. The only girl she saw standing across the street was a short black girl standing in between two teenage boys, one was white and the other looked to be Latino and they were arguing with each other.

The pretty brunette turned to face her fiancé, a frown marring her features. "You know her?"

"Yeah...like since the day she was born." He said, still looking at the girl, trying to figure out why the seventeen year old wasn't in Mystic Falls where she belonged. "She's Connor's little sister."

At hearing that, the frown disappeared from her face. Connor Bennett was Damon's best friend who died two years ago in a car accident. He was only twenty-five.

"What the hell is she doing here?" He said to himself, but loud enough for Elena to hear.

Her brown eyes widened when he suddenly moved away from the door, walking towards the rear of the car.

"Damon...w-where are you going?"

"I'll be back." He answered before looking both ways and crossing the busy street.

* * *

Shit! This was really bad, Bonnie Bennett thought to herself as she stood in between Tyler and Jeremy.

It looked like they were about to fight.

Jeremy was high as a kite and almost got the three of them caught by the police and Tyler was furious, ready to kick his ass. His hands were balled up into fists and everything.

No. This definitely wasn't good at all and Shane wasn't there to break things up like he usually did when things got out of hand between the two boys.

Bonnie didn't know what to do and she literally was stuck in the middle of the two of them when she heard someone call out her name.

The 5'2 caramel skinned girl turned her head at the sound of her name and gasped, her green eyes widening in surprised shock.

"Damon?"

It was like everything slowed down as he neared her, Bonnie's eyes taking a mental picture of him and breaking everything down to the tiniest of details.

He was still the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. If it was even possible he'd grown even more handsome since the last time she saw him, which had been at her brother's funeral two years ago and he hadn't been back since, not even to pay a visit to his family who still lived in Mystic Falls.

And by the looks of his expensive clothes it looked like Damon was still doing very well for himself. Bonnie knew that he worked on Wall Street but that was about it.

Damn, he even smelled expensive she thought to herself when he pulled her into a hug and she suddenly became ware of her own appearance and how she must look to him.

Thankfully, she'd had a bird bath earlier that morning inside the restroom of the bus station, so she didn't smell bad or anything but her clothes were a little dingy and her hair was in serious need of a touch-up which was why she kept it in two braids so that at least it looked neat.

But it was hard trying to keep clean when you were homeless and besides basic hygiene took a distant second when the order for the day was trying to feed your growling belly, but under the circumstances Bonnie was doing a pretty good job at looking half way decent. But it was really dangerous, especially for girls having to use public restrooms to wash up. There were a couple that she knew personally who had been raped while doing this. So if Shane or Tyler wasn't there to stand guard outside of the restroom door then Bonnie would forgo washing up that day. She was taking no chances.

If it wasn't for Shane and Tyler who she now trusted with her life, Bonnie knew that things would have been a lot worse for her after having arrived in the Big Apple almost two months ago.

"I couldn't believe my own eyes when I saw you at first. What are you doing here?" He asked pulling away and holding Bonnie at arms length by her shoulders so that he could have a good look at her.

She looked the same, but different somehow.

Connor's death had long ago taken the brightness out of her pretty green eyes, but now there was something else there, a wariness that hadn't been there before as she stare up at him.

But Bonnie didn't get a chance to answer his question as Tyler, no longer arguing with Jeremy, turned his attention on them two.

"Bonnie, who's this guy?" He asked, knowing that Shane wasn't going to be happy when he told him about this, his eyes going to the man's hands that still remained locked on Bonnie's shoulders.

For a split second, the girl looked at Tyler like she didn't know him, but then her head cleared. She'd forgotten all about him and Jeremy just that fast.

She swallowed hard, stepping away from Damon and he dropped his arms, his eyes questioning as he stared at her.

Her eyes didn't leave his face. "He's just someone I know from back home...it was good to see you Damon but I have to go." She finally turned to her friends. "Come on guys, let's get out of here." She said, turning away from the man she'd secretly been in love with all of her life.

Before he could even think about it, Damon's hand shot out to grab hold of the back of Bonnie's forearm and he felt how small she actually was. His jaw tensed because she had no business being this far away from home, anything could happen to her.

"No. You're coming with me ." He said, pulling the girl to him. "I'm going to put you on the first flight back to Mystic Falls, where you belong."

At that Bonnie's eyes widened in fear and she began to frantically try to pull away from Damon. "No, I'm never going back there and you can't make me!" She fought him.

"Bonnie stop it! Your mom is probably worried sick about you. Now let's go!"

And that's when Jeremy surprised everyone and pulled a gun on Damon, aiming the pistol at the man's chest.

The twenty-seven year old froze.

"Get your fucking hands off her, man. She doesn't want to go with you."

"Jeremy no!" Bonnie yelled, not realizing that she was shielding Damon with her body as she pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him back.

"Let her go." The boy repeated, running his free hand over his sweaty upper lip in anticipation.

"Damon, he's high on meth...so please just go before he kills you." She begged him, her love for him shining in her eyes.

Ignoring the boy with the gun in his hands, Damon's eyes focused solely on Bonnie as he looked at her intently. "I work at Hadley and Hardison, so if you ever need me that's where you'll find me, okay, Baby."

Bonnie's eyes watered at the sound of her nickname and she tried desperately to swallow down the emotions that were threatening to bubble up to the surface. She hadn't been called that silly nickname in a really long time. Not since Connor di...

She didn't finish the thought, nodding her head with no intention of ever contacting him for anything just so he'd let her go.

Damon Salvatore was apart of her past and it hurt too much to think about the past...to think about Connor.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief when he released her.

"Alright Jere, he let her go now give me the gun."Tyler said gently, slowly hovering his hand over the weapon.

The boy pulled away, the gun still on Damon. "Hell no! I found it. This is my gun now." He said.

"Then at least put it away!" Tyler said through clenched teeth.

Jeremy licked his lips, shaking his head. "No, I don't trust this guy. He might try something if I do."

He's not so stupid after all, Damon thought to himself, his steel-blue eyes glinting dangerously at the boy.

"Come on Bonnie, let's get out of here." Tyler said, losing his patience.

Jeremy had been nothing but a fuck up all day. He and Shane seriously needed to have talk about the sixteen year old boy because Jeremy was a loose cannon that they couldn't afford to have around anymore. Picking people's pockets was a far cry from holding them at gunpoint.

When Bonnie started to back away from him, Damon moved forward, quickly sticking his hand into his pocket and pulling out the two twenties he was going to use to tip the valet.

It was the only money that he had on him and he placed the folded bills into the palm of her hand.

"Remember Bonnie, Hadley and Hardison."

The girl gave him a small smile as she slowly backed away. "I almost didn't recognize you with the straight hair, Salvatore. Nonna would have a fit if she saw you right now. She loves your curly hair."

_And so do I._

Nonna was Damon's grandmother. She was back in Mystic Falls with the rest of his family.

Bonnie gave him a small wave before finally turning around and walking away.

Damon just stood there and watched her go until she turned into one of the alleyways, disappearing from his sight.

* * *

The Salvatore's left Italy and moved to Mystic Falls when Damon was just five years old. Having watched a lot of American television shows, little Damon knew just enough English to get by and his parents enrolled him in school immediately where he would meet his best friend for the next twenty years of his life, Connor Bennett.

Theirs were a friendship that surpassed all understanding because the two boys were so different in so many ways and yet they just mashed. And their bond only grew tighter and stronger as the two of them got older.

Outside of his family, no one knew Damon Salvatore better than his best friend and vice versa.

So when Connor died in that car accident, it felt like a little piece of Damon had died right along with him.

* * *

Talking Elena into staying at her place tonight took some work, but Damon did it. He could tell that she really wanted to fuck him, but he just wasn't in the mood for that tonight.

He sighed with relief when she got out of the car and walked into her building. He just couldn't deal with her tonight. At times, Elena could be really self-absorbed so he knew that she wouldn't want to hear him talk about Bonnie and how he was worried about her. Hell, Elena didn't even know that he had a gun drawn on him while he was across the street from her because she was too busy fixing her face in the car mirror.

So the moment he dropped off his fiancée, Damon called his mother. For five minutes he patiently listened as she talked about the family as he drove himself home and when the time was right he casually asked about the Bennett's and that's when his mother told him that Bonnie had run away from home. He asked why no one bothered to call and tell him.

"And what exactly were you going to do about it Damon?" Isabella Salvatore asked her son.

He sighed, realizing that she was right. What could he have done?

No one in town knew why Bonnie ran away, but Isabella had a sneaky suspicion that it had something to do with her mother's new boyfriend who was living with them, but not one to spread gossip she didn't tell this to her son.

And for some reason Damon decided not to tell his mother that Bonnie was there in New York.

He spoke to his mom for another few minutes before ending the call, promising he would call her again soon.

* * *

Entering his 2,000 square foot Manhattan apartment that overlooked the city, Damon loosened his tie the moment he closed the door, securing the lock.

He purchased this apartment after he made his second million dollars on Wall Street.

Damon loved his job as a trader. It was the best job in the world. He looked forward to going to work every morning. And how many people could say that about their jobs?

Not many.

He was twenty-seven years old and he had the world at his feet and in just six months time he would be marrying the beautiful Elena Gilbert.

She was from a very wealthy family on the upper east side and of course being the rich snubs that they were, her family didn't take the news well that she was marrying some immigrant from Italy.

Not even Damon's impressive job on Wall Street could give him brownie points where they were concerned, but because Elena was their only daughter and was spoiled rotten, getting everything she ever wanted, her parents accepted her decision to marry Damon, even going so far as to throw the bride to be a five million dollar wedding.

All Damon had to do was show up to the altar on time.

He chucked his keys onto the granite counter top of the kitchen island, going straight to the refrigerator for his favorite drink.

Hawaiian punch. Original.

He twisted the top off the large plastic bottle, taking a long swig before placing it back into the fridge, his mind refusing to stop thinking about Bonnie.

He remembered how when she was little she used to run to him, jumping into his arms to give him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek every time he stepped foot inside their home and then one day she suddenly stopped and Damon realized how much he missed her affection.

What could have possibly made her run away from home like that though? And how in the hell did she end up in New York?

He shouldn't have let her go.

Connor would be so disappointed in him.

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

Damon's office phone rang just as he was about to leave work for the night.

Yes, night.

Damon Salvatore was a work alcoholic and besides he had to get home to get ready for Elena's twenty-fourth birthday party that her parents were giving her at their huge penthouse on Park Avenue, so he was going to ignore the call, but then something told him to pick up the phone.

He signed as he went back to his desk. "Damon Salvatore." He answered.

"Something's wrong with Bonnie." Tyler said from the pay phone inside of the warm diner.

"What...who is this?" Damon asked frowning.

Tyler ignored the question. "She's sick. I think she needs to go to a hospital. You said to call at your job if she ever needed anything. Well she needs a doctor."

Damon realized that this was one of the boys Bonnie was with a couple of weeks ago speaking to him. "Where is she?"

"Jerry's Diner." Tyler said before hanging up the phone.

The eighteen year old boy went back to the booth were Bonnie sat resting her head against the wall, holding her stomach.

Tyler touched her sweaty forehead. She had a fever. "Everything's going to be okay now, I promise."

The boy knew that Shane was going to be very upset with him for doing this, but Bonnie needed help. She'd been in pain for days and it was only getting worse.

"I called that black haired guy with the freaky blue eyes and he's on the way...please go with him Bonnie. You don't belong on the streets."

A tear rolled down her cheek because she knew Tyler was about to leave her. She grabbed the front of his coat before he could move away, but when he looked at her questioningly Bonnie didn't have the words to thank him for all that he'd done. This boy had looked out for her as if she was his sister, literally saving her ass on more than one occasion because even though Bonnie tried to down play her looks as much as possible, it was plain to see that she was a very pretty girl and therefore drew a lot of unwanted male attention.

Tyler smiled down at her, seeing the gratitude in her eyes. He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it. "Take care of yourself, Baby." He just all of a sudden started calling her that a few days go, but Bonnie didn't mind. It was kind of comforting to hear. And after a moment he left.

* * *

Damon showed up at the diner a short while later. He spotted Bonnie immediately and walked over to where she sat alone at a table in the back of the restaurant. Neither one of them said anything as they stared at each other.

The boy was right, Bonnie definitely needed to see a doctor. She looked really bad.

"You ready?" He asked softly.

Bonnie swallowed hard, nodding her head, but when she went to move she winced in pain.

Without saying a word, Damon Salvatore gently scooped the tiny girl into his arms and carried her out of the diner.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO MONTHS AGO...MYSTIC FALLS

Knowing that she wouldn't be going away to college in the fall like the rest of her friends was really taking a toll on Bonnie, especially now that Mason had moved in.

Going away to school was going to be her way out of Mystic Falls, like it was for her brother and Damon, but it wasn't to be.

Abby Bennett had to use Bonnie's college money to pay off the bank so that they wouldn't foreclose on their home.

And when Bonnie was told that she would have to stay home and attend community college, it felt like a kick in the gut.

All the teenager could think was that everything she did for the last four years had been a complete waste of time.

What was all of that late night studying and hard work for if she was just going to end up at community college anyway?

Everyone kept trying to tell her that it wasn't so bad that maybe in a year or two she could transfer to a four year university, but to Bonnie a lot could happen in a year or two.

Tomorrow wasn't promised to anyone.

She learned that sobering lesson the night Connor's life was so unexpectedly snatched away from him.

No, Bonnie wanted out of this town, _now_.

* * *

It was a miserable summer and Bonnie kind of kept to herself because it was hard hearing her friends talk about leaving and how excited they were for college.

And being home no longer felt like a refuge with Mason there.

So when her best friend's mom who was an administrator at Mystic Falls General hospital said that they were hiring, Bonnie jumped at the opportunity and was hired immediately as a laundry tech.

It wasn't the best job in the world, but it gave her something to do until she started school in January and more importantly...it got her out of the house.

Bonnie didn't know what the hell her mom was thinking by letting Mason move in with them. Was the sex that fucking amazing that all of her mother's good sense just flew out the window?

She barely knew him!

Abby met Mason about three months ago when she was on a girl's night out with her friends at some night club.

Bonnie had never seen her mom so sprung over a guy before, not even with her father when they were still married and in love, but the girl found out why the moment she met Mason for the first time.

From the bat, Bonnie could see that he was at least ten years younger than her mother, but besides that, he was very good looking.

He was really tall and well built with short, curly blonde hair and gorgeous blue-green eyes.

Her mom didn't stand a chance against someone like him.

Mason Lockwood had Abby Bennett's nose so wide open that a small airplane could fly right up it and land with no trouble.

On more than one occasion Bonnie was waken from her sleep in the middle of the night by the sound of them fucking right across the hall from her bedroom and she would reach over to grab her headphones off the night stand and placed them over her ears, blasting the music just to drown them out.

It was sickening.

But what was even more sickening was the way Bonnie would sometimes catch Mason looking at her.

At first, Bonnie thought she was imagining things, but when Mason started doing little stuff like "accidentally" brushing up against her whenever he walked passed her, Bonnie knew she wasn't crazy, and whenever she tried to talk to her mother about it, he would always walk into the room.

Bonnie honestly didn't know what to do. She never had to deal with things like this. If Connor was alive he'd know exactly what to do.

Hell, if Connor was alive Mason wouldn't even be in the picture.

* * *

On the 4th of July Mason invited all of his low class friends over for a barbeque. Bonnie was so pissed because they were making a mess of the house.

Beer cans were everywhere, even in the bathroom and someone had wasted salsa all over the kitchen floor and didn't bother to clean it up.

And when Bonnie started to complain about Mason's friends, her mom told her to relax that it was no big deal.

No big deal? Bonnie couldn't believe her ears!

This was the same woman who used to have a fucking fit if you didn't use a coaster for your drinks on her precious furniture.

After a while the seventeen year old realized that it was no use trying to talk to her mother, Abby was turned out, Mason could do no wrong in her eyes, so Bonnie left the house.

She didn't return home until late that night and it was to find her mother past out on the living room sofa like some drunk college student, snoring up a storm.

The girl looked around at the mess that _she_ would have to clean up, anger boiling hot inside of her at how unfair things were.

Bonnie stumped into the kitchen to crab a trash bag. She might as well get started on this mess tonight instead of waiting until the morning.

It took no time at all picking up all the trash and straightening things up in the living room, but it was the kitchen that Bonnie was dreading cleaning up because there was where the mess really lay, dirty dishes were everywhere and she would also have to sweep and mop the floor. That was how nasty it was.

Mason and his friends were total pigs.

Not procrastinating any longer, Bonnie got to work on the kitchen.

Cleaning up wasn't so bad when music was playing, so the teenager turned on the radio and that was why she didn't hear Mason when he walked up from behind and pressed himself against her.

Bonnie gasped in shock, the glass she was holding slipping from her hand and back into the soapy water.

She stupidly thought that he was upstairs pasted out sleep as well.

Mason's hands went to her hips keeping her still when she tried to pull away from him.

He bent his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he pressed himself even closer to her, Bonnie could feel his dick hardening. "Mmm, you smell nice."

"What are you doing...let go of me!" Panicked couldn't even describe how Bonnie was feeling in that moment.

"Stop pretending like you don't like this." He whispered in her ear. "I see the way you look at me."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Was he crazy? Because she never looked at him in any way except for maybe in disgust.

And before Bonnie knew what was happening he was turning her around to face him and crushing his mouth down on hers.

Bonnie's muffed screams went unheard as she tried to break free.

He was so much stronger than her that she couldn't push him off not even a little bit, so she clawed at his face with her nails.

He instantly let go of her. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled, reaching up to touch his face and pulling away blood on his hand.

Breathing hard, Bonnie braced herself against the counter. "You're disgusting...and I'm going to tell my mother about you...and she's going to kick your sorry ass out of here!" She screamed.

Mason regarded her intently, his eyes boring into her. "Do you know that your mother still cries at night over losing your brother?

Bonnie froze.

Mason closed the space between them, caressing the girl's cheek. She pushed his hand away.

"I make your mother very happy Bonnie... I take away her pain. And if I go, she'll fall right back down into that lonely pit of depression...do you want that Bonnie, huh? Because that's _exactly_ what's going to happen...so you think about that."

She swallowed hard.

Mason left the kitchen knowing that Bonnie wasn't going to say shit.

* * *

And he was right.

Bonnie made the mistake of keeping quiet about Mason because she loved her mother and didn't want to see her unhappy.

So from that moment on Bonnie made it a point to avoid the man at all costs.

If Mason was home then Bonnie wasn't. She started picking up extra shifts at work and when she wasn't working her time was spent with friends.

But weeks later, Bonnie got off of work a little earlier than normal and if she hurried she would have time to take a shower and be dressed and out of the house before Mason came home from his job.

So as soon as she got home, Bonnie jumped into the shower.

But unfortunately Bonnie wasn't the only one who got off of work early that day.

It had started to rain and it wasn't letting up so being a construction worker Mason was let off of work early as well.

He was walking up the stairs, stripping off his soaking wet shirt just as Bonnie was coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her naked body going to her room.

She froze like a deer in headlights when she saw him.

"Well well well, now isn't this a lovely sight to come home to after a hard day at work." His eyes traveling down the length of her body.

Bonnie swallowed hard, her hand gripping the front of the towel.

"You had to know that this was going to happen eventually." He said, coming to stand on the landing and dropping his shirt to the floor.

Bonnie's mind was racing. She was trapped. He was standing in the middle of the hallway right between the stairs and her bedroom door.

She had no where to run.

"You will go to jail for a very long time if you touch me." She warned, backing away.

His eyes leered at her trembling body. "Maybe, maybe not...but believe me, it will be well worth that price to get a piece of you."

The girl made a quick dash for the bathroom, but he pushed the door open before she could get it closed.

Bonnie screamed when he grabbed her, picking her up.

He clamped his meaty hand over her mouth as he carried her into the bedroom.

She bit him.

He dropped her on the bed. "Why you little bitch!" He growled, grabbing her when she tried to scramble off the bed.

He threw Bonnie onto her back and ripped open the towel, exposing her beautiful little body and then he spread her legs wide.

She screamed once again, and he backed handed her, splitting the corner of her lips. Bonnie whimpered.

"Do that one more time and I'll break your jaw." He threatened as he began to undo his pants.

Bonnie could taste her own blood as it leaked into her mouth. "P-Please don't do this to me Mason...I'm still a virgin." She cried, begging him.

"Then lucky me." He said, pulling out his dick.

When Bonnie saw how huge he was, she screamed and began to fight him to get free, but he easily overpowered her, pushing the girl back down onto the bed.

"Bonnie, you home?" She heard her mother yell from downstairs.

"Mommy!" Bonnie screamed frantically. "Help me!"

Abby Bennett flew up the stairs, taking them two at a time and when she got to Bonnie's room and saw Mason climbing off of her naked daughter, trying to stuff his dick back into his pants, she lost her fucking mind.

"What are you doing to my daughter?!" She screamed, running at him with her hands raised. "You fucking bastard...I'm going to kill you!"

When she tried to claw out his eyes, Mason grabbed both her hands, backing her against the wall.

"Abby, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to do it! I didn't mean to touch her...I promise! Please forgive me, baby...I love you so much!" He cried, dropping to his knees in front of her and putting his arms around her waist. "You're the best thing to ever come into my life and I can't lose you! I'll die if I lose you Abby...I love you so much!"

At hearing him cry like a little lost boy, all of the fight went out of Abby Bennett and when Bonnie saw her mother put her arms around the man who just tried to rape her, something died inside of the girl.

She sat up, covering her nakedness with the blanket from her bed as she stared across the room at her mother with dead eyes.

And for the first time Abby noticed the blood coming from her daughter's mouth and the redness that marred the side of her pretty face where Mason had struck her.

Abby closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her face.

Bonnie left home that night.

* * *

Having saved close to six hundred dollars from working at the hospital, Bonnie took that money and bought a one way bus ticket to New York City, not even realizing that she picked that particular place because that was where Damon Salvatore lived.

Surprisingly the ticket was under a hundred bucks which was so great because she was going to have to pinch every single penny of her money until she was able to find a job.

When Bonnie finally arrived in the big city she managed to find a really, _really_ cheap motel in the seediest part of town where she rented a room by the week. She had to lie and tell the elderly man at the front desk of the filthy lobby that she was eighteen, otherwise he wouldn't let Bonnie have the room.

But when it came to finding a job, things weren't as easy.

No one was hiring at the moment, not even for waitress jobs. And when she did find someone hiring, she had to be eighteen to apply for the job and she couldn't lie because unlike at the hotel who just took her word that she was of legal age, employers required ID.

Bonnie was miserable in New York.

Nothing was turning out like she thought it would. And to add to that, the girl was lonely which was why after hitting the pavement once again to find a job and coming up empty handed instead of going back to her depressing motel room, Bonnie found herself on the subway headed to lower Manhattan to the financial district where Wall Street was located.

Bonnie knew it was a long shot that she'd find Damon considering the famous street was eight blocks long and she didn't know where exactly he worked, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

So for two hours, she walked up and down Wall Street with no luck and finally she left when it was beginning to get late, not liking to be outside at night.

Damon walked out of the building where he worked at Hadley and Hardison two minutes after Bonnie walked past it headed for the subway.

* * *

After a while, Bonnie's money began to get low to the point where she had to choose between eating and having a roof over her head...so she starved, but a week and a half later she was out on the streets because her money had completely run out.

Bonnie found a shelter, but during the day they made all the homeless people leave and in order to get back in and get a bed for the night you had to start standing in line by five o'clock for a spot because they only had so many beds, but Bonnie didn't know this so when she went back to the shelter just before sunset, she was turned away at the door because all of the beds were taken.

And for the first time ever she would have to spend the night on the streets.

Bonnie was scared to death.

She literally had no where to go. During the day she would go sit in the park, but there was no way she was going there at night.

She felt so vulnerable out there in the open at night all by herself.

Walking aimlessly, Bonnie stayed where there was a lot of people around, but she soon got tired of walking and after a while she discovered a laundry mat that was still open and there were a few people inside doing their laundry with a couple of kids running around, so she went inside and sat down, feeling safe for the first time that night.

She fell asleep.

_**Thirty Minutes Later...**_

"Look what I found." The blond girl said, coming to stand over Bonnie's sleeping form. "Let's take her bag." She said reaching for the black duffel bag.

"Stop." Tyler said, his eyes on Bonnie. "You're not going to find any money in there and judging by her size you won't be able to fit into her clothes so leave the bag alone. Look at her Caroline, she's just like us...she doesn't have anywhere to go."

The girl paused and took a good look at Bonnie. "She hasn't been on the streets that long though...she's too clean."

"Look how small she is and she's pretty too." The teenage boy said, thinking about his twelve year old sister who was about the same size as this girl.

Caroline's blue eyes flew to his face. "You think she's pretty Tyler?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Jeremy asked coming inside. It didn't take that long to check the machines for forgotten clothes.

"We found a girl." Caroline said pointing to Bonnie.

"Oh yeah." He said walking up to where they stood. "Oh wow, she's pretty."

Caroline huffed. "You think she's pretty too Jeremy?"

"She's beautiful." The boy said reaching out to touch the sleeping girl's soft cheek.

Bonnie startled awake, slapping Jeremy's hand away from her face, her green eyes wide with fear.

Tyler immediately spoke up, holding his hands up in a non threatening way. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you."

"That's mine!" She snapped when she saw Caroline holding her bag and she snatched it back.

"She's a feisty little thing isn't she." Jeremy chuckled.

Bonnie stood up, holding her bag close to her chest. "Get out of my way, I want to leave."

"Oh yeah...and go where?" Tyler challenged.

Bonnie raised her chin and she reminded Tyler so much of his sister that it was crazy.

He sighed. "Look, if you need a place to stay for the night you can come with us."

Bonnie looked at both boys suspiciously and Caroline knew exactly what she was thinking. "Don't worry, no one's going to touch you."

Bonnie's eyes flew to the blonde girl's face. Caroline smiled softly. "What's your name?"

The caramel skinned girl swallowed. "Bonnie."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Bonnie...I'm Caroline and this is Jeremy and Tyler." She said pointing out each boy.

Bonnie nodded her head.

"I'm sorry for taking your bag. I didn't know you were one of us."

Bonnie frowned, not knowing what she meant by that.

"A street kid." Tyler answered her silent question.

* * *

That night they took Bonnie back to the abandoned warehouse where they were currently living and when she saw all of the other kids there, a strange since of calm settled over her.

She wasn't alone. There were other kids out there just like her.

But when Bonnie was introduced to Shane for the very first time, her guard immediately went back up.

He was no teenager.

Shane was a grown man and he had these really big eyes that were very penetrating like he knew your every secret.

Bonnie kept her distance from him, in fact Bonnie kept her distance from all the guys, sticking close to Caroline like glue.

Shane and Tyler stood off to the side, watching the new girl as she talked quietly with Caroline.

"It's going to take some time before she trusts us." Shane said sighing softly. He knew that wary look he saw in Bonnie's eyes. Some bastard had forced himself on the girl.

"Yeah I know." Tyler said, crossing his arms against his chest. "But do you think she'll be of any use?"

Shane smiled. He turned to Tyler, placing his hand on the teenager's shoulder. "Did you not see those delicate little fingers of hers? They were made for picking pockets."

The older man laughed. "My boy...they won't see her coming."


	3. Chapter 3

Life was so unpredictable.

A week ago she was homeless, living in an abandoned warehouse full of other street kids just like herself trying to survive and today... she was not.

Bonnie stood under the warm spray of water in Damon's amazing bathroom shower.

Technically she didn't need a shower considering she just had one the night before. This was purely for pleasure. After having gone so long without properly bathing, taking showers had become a new luxury that Bonnie indulged in a lot.

And all it took to get her there was an appendicitis.

Yep.

That was the cause of all the debilitating pain she was experiencing a week ago. The doctor told Bonnie and Damon that if they'd waited another day to bring her to the hospital her appendix would have ruptured and she could have died.

Bonnie was rushed into surgery for an emergency appendectomy and was in the hospital for two days. When Damon said that he was going to call Abbey and let her know what was going on that's when Bonnie calmly filled him in on why she left Mystic Falls.

Damon felt like punching a hole through the wall... or better yet, punching a hole through that bastard who tried to rape Bonnie. And Abbey? Damon honestly didn't know what to think. What the hell would make her choose that fucker over her own daughter?

It was settled.

Bonnie couldn't go back home and she damn sure wasn't going back on the streets to that Shane guy.

Yeah, Bonnie told him all about Shane and how the man taught her how to pick people's pockets. It made Damon's teeth grind to hear her talk about this Shane as if he was some modern day Robin Hood, who only stole from the rich.

Yeah right.

Bonnie sounded like a brain washed cult follower trying to defend Shane's character when Damon said that he was nothing but a low life, manipulating and taking advantage of vulnerable teenage kids.

They went back and forth on this issue for a while before Damon realized that this guy had a pretty strong hold on Bonnie.

She couldn't see that Shane was a bad guy. That wasn't good.

It wasn't good at all.

And it was a culmination of all these things that lead to Damon taking Bonnie into his home. He owed it to Connor to look after her. Somebody had to.

"I hope you saved me some hot water." Damon said when Bonnie came into the room.

"Don't worry. There's plenty." She said coming to take a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen island directly across from where he stood having breakfast.

"Want some?" He asked, pushing his plate towards her.

Without even thinking twice about it Bonnie picked up his half eaten cheese danish and took a bite.

It was so good that it made her mouth water with hurt, causing a tiny sound to escape from her throat.

Neither one of them questioned how easily they fell back into that comfortable sense of familiarity with each other.

Damon may have been her brother's best friend, but Bonnie also spent a lot of time in the Salvatore's home. She was very close to his family, especially Nonna who had a sweet spot for Bonnie the day she saw her at only three weeks old.

Nonna never had a little girl, and she always wanted one, but she was blessed with all boys and they in turn had all boys.

There wasn't a Salvatore baby girl to be had to date, so Nonna immediately took to Bonnie because she was the prettiest little thing she'd ever seen in her life, pulling at the woman's heart strings with those beautiful green eyes of hers.

Nonna loved Bonnie so much that when Abbey and Rudy Bennett got divorced a few years later and Abbey had to go back to work, it was she who stepped in to take care of three year old Bonnie and she did it free of charge.

Thanks to Nonna, Bonnie was fluent in Italian. She taught the young girl how to cook and sew. Basically putting it, everything that Nonna would have taught her own daughter was taught to Bonnie.

She was a permanent fixture in the Salvatore household. It was her second home.

Damon snatched back the pastry after Bonnie had a few bites. "I said _some_."

She frowned prettily, licking her fingers. "Well, why didn't you get one for me?"

He took a bite out of the danish and then nodded his head to the side. Bonnie looked over and saw the box of fresh pastries from the bakery sitting on the kitchen counter. She immediately got up from her seat and went over to help herself.

They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments, enjoying the pastries.

When Damon was done he licked his fingers. "I talked to my mom last night after you went to sleep."

Bonnie stopped chewing. "Oh yeah...and did you tell her about me...being here?"

"You asked me not to, so I didn't."

Her shoulders visibly relaxed and she nodded her head. "Thank you...it's just that I need some time before everyone...you know." She trailed off quietly.

Yeah, Damon knew better than anyone.

Bonnie had grown up around his family so she knew how overbearing they could be at times. The minute everyone found out where she was they would pressure her to come home.

"How's Nonna?" She asked slipping into speaking Italian.

He answered back in his native language. "Other than worried about you, she's fine...mama says she goes to church every morning to pray for your safe return."

Guilt made Bonnie lower her eyes. She shook her head. "I can't go back there, Damon." She said quietly.

Without saying a word he crossed over to where she stood and pulled her into his arms. "Then you don't have to." He said softly, cradling the back of her head.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around his waist, closing her eyes. He made her feel so safe and she hadn't felt safe in a really long time.

Damon kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll protect you from my family."

This made her laugh. She pulled away, looking up into his beautiful blue eyes. "Who you kidding, you won't stand a chance against Nonna."

Damon chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah you're right, she'll demolish me."

* * *

Damon went to work later that morning and left behind his debit card so that if Bonnie felt up to it she could do a little shopping and get the things she needed.

Before leaving the building though, Damon made it a point to stop and tell his doorman that Bonnie was staying with him so that she wouldn't encounter any problems when she came back from shopping.

And sure enough later on that afternoon when Bonnie returned to Damon's apartment building with her hands full of shopping bags the security guy stopped her when she tried to get on the elevator, but luckily the doorman showed up a minute later, having gone to take a piss, and he vouched for her.

Bonnie got on the elevator and before the doors could close shut she stuck her tongue out at the security guy. She couldn't help it. The guy was an ass hole, grabbing her arm really roughly like she had stole something.

Letting the ugly incident go when she got up to the apartment, Bonnie put away her new clothes and then grabbed the relaxer out of the drug store bag, going into the bathroom to get started on her hair.

She'd never gone this long before without a relaxer. She had so much new growth that it took almost the entire jar of relaxer to do her head.

Afterward, she deep conditioned her dark tresses which made her hair silky soft and did a quick length check, smiling when she saw that her hair reached past her shoulder blades.

She spent the rest of the day styling her hair into soft curls with a curling iron, wanting to look nice after looking like a bum for so long.

Bonnie even bought a new dress. It was a Maxie dress that she found on sale at the mall. It was in Damon's favorite color and everything.

Bonnie had learned a long time ago that Damon was kind of old fashion in a way, liking when girls dressed like girls, looking and smelling pretty.

Tonight was about thanking him for everything that he'd done for her in the last few days. Bonnie couldn't wait to see his face when he saw that she had made his favorite meal.

Damon was going to be so surprised because he had no idea that Nonna had taught her how to cook.

* * *

It was almost eight o'clock at night when Bonnie heard Damon unlocking the door. She was so excited that she went to the door opening it before he could with a huge smile on her face. "You're home!"

Damon's blue eyes widened and he burst into a huge smile of his own. "Now there's the Bonnie I remember...you look beautiful." He said reaching out to touch her hair.

Bonnie beamed under his praise.

"So I guess there's no need to ask what you did today."

She laughed, moving back so that he could enter the apartment. But he stopped when the delicious aroma of Beef and Cheese Manicotti baking in the oven hit his nostrils and his eyes swept the apartment like he was looking for someone. "Nonna?"

He turned to Bonnie, his face expectant. "Is Nonna here?" Because damn if he didn't know the smell of his grandmother's cooking.

Bonnie bit down on her bottom lip, trying not to giggle as she shook her head no.

He pointed at her. "You?"

She nodded yes, loving the stunned expression on his handsome face.

"But it smells just like Nonna's cooking."

"It should considering she's the one who taught me how to cook." The oven timer went off. "Are you hungry?" She asked walking towards the kitchen.

"Hell yeah, I'm hungry. You got my mouth watering." He said, following behind her, unloosening his tie and pulling it off.

He stood beside her and watched as she pulled the hot dish from the oven. She placed it on top of the stove and Damon immediately reached for a clean spoon.

"Now let's see if it tastes like my Nonna's delicious Manicotti...you've got big shoes to fill, Baby." He said, digging out a small scoop from the corner of the pan.

Bonnie watched him blow on the steaming hot food for a few seconds, holding her breath when he finally put it into his mouth.

Blue eyes stared down at her as he chewed carefully . After a moment, he swallowed and then shook his head.

Bonnie's pretty face fell.

But then he smiled. "Well I'll be damned...it tastes exactly like hers."

Green eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Exactly." He said honestly. "I would never be able to taste the difference."

Bonnie squealed happily, clapping her hands. That was such a compliment coming from Damon because Nonna was the best cook in the family.

He chuckled. "You did good, Baby." He pulled her in, giving her a quick peck on the forehead. "Come on, let's eat."

Bonnie made Damon sit down at the table while she fixed his plate. He laughed because she was acting exactly like the women in his family who couldn't stand for a man to be in the kitchen while they were trying to do their thing.

And when Bonnie pulled out a chilled bottle of Sangiovese that he kept in his wine selection and poured him a glass, Damon's eyes truly bugged. That was exactly the right red wine to pair with the Manicotti.

He looked up at her with approval. "I see Nonna taught you well."

Bonnie's face heated up in a blush because she could feel him staring at her. She forced herself to meet his eyes when she was done pouring the wine.

"Yes, very well."

* * *

Dinner was amazing.

They talked and laughed. Bonnie teased him about straightening his curly hair, calling him a girl.

It was on the tip of Damon's tongue to comment on his sexual prowess in rebuff to her statement, but he stopped himself just in time, remembering it wouldn't be appropriate because of her age.

It was a perfect night. Bonnie wanted it to last forever. But then the doorbell rang.

Damon got up from the table to answer it, his blue eyes widening when he saw Elena standing there. For a second there it looked like he'd forgotten all about her.

"You're back!" He said when she threw herself into his arms.

"Yeah, I just got off the plane... I couldn't wait to see you, so I rushed right over." She said before attacking his mouth.

When Damon had gotten up to answer the door, Bonnie started to clear the table. She froze when she saw Elena jump into his arms and kiss him like she had every right to do so.

"I've been away from you for an entire week and I want to fuck...I want to fuck right now."

The wine glass that was in Bonnie's hand slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor breaking loudly causing Elena gaze to swing in her direction.

"Who's she?" The gorgeous brunette asked, arching a brow.

Damon frowned because he'd told Elena all about Bonnie. He knew that she had been on a week long vacation with her girls in Mexico, but damn how could she forget so quickly.

"That's Bonnie, Elena...remember?" When she still looked clueless, his jaw tensed. "She's Connor's little sister."

Her brow cleared. "Oh that's right." She walked past him into the apartment. "So we finally get to meet."

Bonnie didn't know what to say so she didn't say anything as Elena came closer. Her green eyes went to Damon in puzzlement and that's when he realized that he hadn't told her about Elena. It wasn't like he was intentionally keeping it from Bonnie, it was just so much was going on that it never came up.

"Um Bonnie, this is Elena...my fiancee."

Her eyes widening slightly was the only outward reaction the girl had.

But on the inside, Bonnie was lamenting.

Her mind did that thing where it kind of went into self preservation mode. Her emotions didn't shut down or anything like that, they sort of just stayed underneath the surface long enough for her to maintain her composure until she could be alone.

Her mouth had gotten so dry in the last few seconds that she had to clear her throat because she knew they were waiting for her to speak.

"Wow...fiancee...I honestly don't know what to say, Damon..." She said, swallowing hard.

"How about congratulations." Elena spoke up.

Bonnie shook her head as if she was trying to clear her mind. "Um y-yeah right...congratulations."

She needed to leave now, so she took a step to do just that, completely forgetting about the shards of glass all over the floor.

The sound of the glass crunching underneath her tiny bare foot could be heard so loudly in the awkward silence.

"Bonnie don't move!" Damon said, rushing over to her. He picked her up into his arms and sat her down on the side of the island away from the broken glass.

"Elena go get the first aid kit. She cut her foot, she's bleeding."

"First aid kit?"

Damon didn't spare her a look as he inspected Bonnie's foot, but his voice was somewhat terse when he said that she would find it in the bathroom inside the medicine cabinet.

When she was gone, Damon looked up at Bonnie, his face angry with worry. "What were you thinking, Baby...you knew there was glass all over the floor?"

The crazy thing was, Bonnie didn't even feel it when the glass pierced through the sole of her foot. She didn't cry out or anything. "I guess I forgot." She said lamely.

Damon looked at her and he knew that she had to be in pain, but her face was completely blank.

"Bonnie?" He said, softly.

Elena came back with the first aid kit and Damon's mind focus back on the issue at hand. He noticed that Bonnie didn't wince once when he had to dig the glass out of her foot or even when he had to pour peroxide on the wound to disinfect it.

"There." He said when he was done wrapping her foot with a clean bandage.

"Thanks." She said in a monotone voice. "I think I'm going to go to my room now."

"Do you want me to carry you?" He asked.

She finally lifted her eyes to meet his and Damon saw the sadness in them.

She tried to smile when she saw his handsome face frown in confusion. "No that's okay, it's really not that bad." Her eyes flickered over Damon's shoulder to Elena who stood right behind him furiously texting on her phone.

"I've experienced things that have hurt a lot worse." She said, swallowing hard.

When Bonnie jumped down from the kitchen island, she politely told both Damon and Elena goodnight before going into her room and closing the door.

Damon Salvatore would never know that he was the only one who ever had the power to make Bonnie Bennett cry her eyes out.


	4. Chapter 4

Eating home-cooked meals on a regular basis was starting to put some meat on Damon Salvatore's bones. He didn't know how to cook, so it was take out for him if he wasn't dining out with friends or Elena at some expensive restaurant. But having Bonnie there changed all of that.

Damon ate good every night and it showed.

Gone was the tapered waist and narrow hips that never really suited his physique because he had such wide shoulders and killer arms. His body was now more portioned. Even his face had filled out some, making him even more handsome.

Damon looked really good. He looked like a man that was being well taken care of, which he was...just not by his fiancee.

Elena hated Damon's weight gain. She liked him on the slim side, preferring the thin rocker look.

"She's making you fat with all that damn cooking she does." Elena complained, referring to Bonnie as she brushed her long hair. She didn't like how heavy Damon felt on top of her when they were fucking, which they'd just finished doing.

Elena sat at her vanity, taking her frustration out on her hair as she roughly pulled the brush through her brow tresses. She hated how her hair always got messed up during the throws of passion, so once they were done she always got up to fix it, cuddling be damn.

Fat? Damon chuckled at her words. Yeah he'd put on some pounds in the last couple of months but it was all muscle because he worked out, but the way Elena was talking one would think he had a double chin and a beer gut.

Elena swung her head around to face him, her hair flying over her shoulder as she glared at Damon lying in bed. "It's not funny...Damon, you're huge and I don't like it!"

Damon scoffed, getting up from the bed naked as the day he was born and Elena's doe eyes dropped down to his dick. She unconsciously moistened her lips, her pussy tingling between her legs at the mere sight of it.

She didn't look back up at his face and continue the conversation until after he disappeared into the attached master bathroom.

"I'm serious Damon." She said loud enough so that he could hear her as he took a piss.

"I can see that." He yelled out, annoyed.

"So you're going to lose the weight then and get back to your normal size?" She asked hopefully when he came back into the bedroom.

All Elena could think about was how he was going to ruin their wedding pictures looking all swollen up like some amateur body builder.

"This is my normal size, Elena. Being a workaholic and not eating right made me thin. So no, I'm not going to lose the weight." He told her, picking up his watch to see what time it was.

He sat the watch back down on the nightstand, rubbing his dick. He really needed to take a shower before he left Elena's apartment.

And besides, there was no way in hell he was giving up Bonnie's cooking.

Saturday mornings were now reserved for them going grocery shopping together with Damon pushing the cart as Bonnie filled it with the items she would need to prepare their meals for the coming week.

"You could stand to gain a few pounds yourself, you know." Damon said without thinking.

The room filled with silence. Crickets could be heard.

"Excuse me?" Elena spoke after a moment, her brown eyes narrowing as she gripped the back of the princess like chair she sat in, her knuckles turning white.

Damon's head snapped up and when he saw the look on her face, he cursed inwardly. Shit, he wasn't in the mood for another argument. It seemed like lately that was all that they did now, but he'd said was the absolute truth.

Elena was getting really thin.

She had herself on a very strict diet becoming overly obsessed about fitting into her size two wedding dress.

Elena was 5'7, she had no business being a fucking size two.

Damon sighed. He crossed the room and caressed her cheek. "You're getting really thin Elena and it's not healthy." He said, gently.

Her jaw tensed and she pushed his hand away, standing to her feet. "I need to gain some weight...are you serious?" She fumed as she glared at him.

He must be out of his fucking mind, she thought. All of her friends were so jealous because she didn't have an ounce of fat on her slender frame and she worked damn hard to get it that way and here Damon was telling her that she needed to put on some weight!

Elena was outraged and for some reason, she blamed it on Bonnie. Her being there in New York was changing Damon. Things he never once had a problem with was now suddenly an issue.

"So what, you're into fat asses now Damon, like _Bonnie's_?" She sneered.

Again, Elena's definition of fat was way off.

Damon's eyes widened at her bringing Bonnie into this. "Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Elena shut her mouth, swallowing hard when she saw the incredulous look on his face and she knew that she'd just fucked up.

Damon was looking at her like she'd lost her mind because if he heard correctly it almost sounded like she was trying to insinuate something really sleazy about him in regards to Bonnie.

She was slipping, Elena realized. It wouldn't be good if Damon knew how jealous she was of his relationship with the seventeen year old girl.

In the beginning, Elena really did want to like the younger girl.

She even wanted them to be friends, but when Elena saw how really close she was to Damon and how he doted on her, all thoughts of them being friends went out of the window.

Elena saw Bonnie as competition.

And it didn't help matters that Bonnie was taking care of Damon's home and cooking for him and even washing his fucking clothes, essentially doing all the things a wife would do for her husband, which Elena had no problem with her doing until the significance of it all was brought to her attention by her own father.

"_What it sounds like Lena is that little girl's doing your job." He said, lowering the newspaper as he cut into his wife's and daughter's conversation as he sat on the living room sofa listening to them talk. _

"_Daddy!" Elena huffed._

_Her father put the paper down. "Well sweetheart, I don't mean to be harsh, put I'm sitting here listening to you talk to your mother about what's going on and all I can say is that it's never a good thing letting another woman take care of your man and that's exactly what this Bonnie person is doing...she's taking care of your man." _

_Elena turned back to her mother, only to see her nodding in agreement. She patted her daughter's hand in sympathey. _

_Elena couldn't believe this was happening and she let it. _

When Damon turned his back on her and began to get dressed, Elena started to panic. "I didn't mean anything by it Damon, I swear!"

His voice was cold. "Yes you did and I don't appreciate what you were trying to insinuate. Bonnie's my dead best friend's little sister and she's only seventeen years old and for you to imply that I...that I..." Damon couldn't even bring himself to say it. "If that's the kind of man you think I am then maybe we should rethink getting married."

"What?!...No!...I love you Damon! You're blowing everything way out of proportion...I wasn't trying to insinuate anything!" She back tracked.

Shit was getting too real for Elena and she became desperate.

She couldn't lose Damon.

So when he angrily grabbed his pants from off the chair about to put them on, she snatched them from his hands and dropped to her knees and began to suck his dick.

He tried to push her away, but she held on to him, taking him fully into her mouth, deep throat style and Damon lost all coherent thought as he held on to the back of her bobbing head.

* * *

It was around lunch time when Damon happened to notice the date on his computer and he realized what today was. He stopped working and swore underneath his breath, getting up from his desk and grabbing his suit jacket from the back of his chair, slipping it on as he walked out of his office.

He slowed down long enough to stop by his assistant's desk. "Janice, I'm leaving for the rest of the day, so just take down any messages that I receive and I'll deal with them tomorrow."

"Okay, Mr. Salvatore." The woman said, nodding her head.

Twenty minutes later he was walking through the door of his apartment and he found Bonnie standing on the balcony with her back turned to him. He could see her slender shoulders shaking up and down and he knew that she was crying. He went to her and gently took hold of her arm, pulling her into a hug.

"I can't believe I forgot what today was...I'm so sorry, Bonnie?"

It was the third anniversary of Connor's death.

"Why does it still hurt so much...I don't understand!" She cried, clinging to him.

Damon didn't have an answer for her, so he just held her close, trying to give her comfort in the only way he knew how.

He ended up holding her for a really long time until she no longer had tears to cry and he didn't mind.

Damon pulled away, bending his knees so that he could see her face as he wiped the last of her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "I think we need to get out of this apartment and go somewhere. Would you like that?"

Bonnie nodded her head, sniffing her nose.

"Then let's go." He said smiling softly, caressing her cheek.

* * *

They ended up walking to a nearby park. It was a sunny, crisp fall day and it looked really pretty outside with all of the different color leaves littering the ground.

"His death changed everything, Damon." Bonnie opened up as they slowly walked side by side. "It was crazy..." She said shaking her head. "...my mom totally fell apart, I mean there were days when I felt like I was the parent and she was child."

She continued as they walked. "My dad was no help... like usual. He came for the wake but couldn't stay an extra day for the funeral. Even Connor's death didn't come before his precious job. I was so mad that I cussed him out...my own dad. I called him a pathetic excuse for a father and I told him that if he left then there was no use in him ever coming back because I never wanted to see him again."

Damon took Bonnie's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He was at the funeral, so he knew that her father didn't show up.

"I haven't seen or talked to him since." She said quietly.

They walked for a bit more in silence before she spoke again.

"And when everything happened with Mason and my mom chose being with him over me...I felt so alone." She paused and then stopped walking, turning to face him. She shook her head." I've never felt so alone in my entire life, Damon."

He captured her face in between his hands and looked at her intently, not knowing the havoc he created inside of Bonnie's every time he pierced her with his blue gaze and touched her like this.

"Hey, you are not alone...not anymore. You have me."

_No, I don't. _She wanted to say.

Bonnie was no fool. She knew that Elena didn't like her and was just biding her time until she and Damon were married and then she would find some way to get her out of his life. And just thinking about that killed Bonnie because she loved him so much. It felt so right having him back in her life again and to know that in a few short months she wouldn't even have that anymore was too much to bear.

She gave him a weak smile, trying to hold back her tears. "Thanks Damon."

He kissed her forehead, pulling her into a tight hug.

Bonnie closed her eyes and tried not to cling to him so tightly.

* * *

Because it was so beautiful outside, they spent most of the day in the park and just talked, sometimes taking a break from walking and sitting down on one of the benches. Slowly Bonnie began to feel better and Damon stopped to buy her one of those soft pretzels when they came upon the vendor.

They ended up sharing it as they walked, unmindful of the stares they were getting from the people they passed by who mistook them as couple.

* * *

When they got back to the apartment, Elena was there and she was unpacking grocery bags.

"What's all this?" Damon asked rather tightly as he closed the door behind he and Bonnie. He hadn't forgotten about the other night and was still angry at Elena for what she said.

"I decided that I wanted to make you dinner."

"But you don't cook."

She smiled tightly, gritting her teeth. "Yes. I. Do..._honey_." Her brown eyes slid to the girl who always seemed to be permanently glued to her finance's side.

"Bonnie, you're more than welcomed to join us if you like."

Bonnie saw right through Elena's non invitation. "Um that's okay, Lacey and I have plans for tonight, but thanks any..."

Damon turned to look at her, cutting her off. "Plans? What kind of plans...you never mentioned anything about going out with Lacey tonight?"

To say that Damon didn't like Bonnie hanging out with Lacey was an understatement. The girl was trouble.

Lacey Porter was a Ford model, one of the only two black models that currently worked for the famous modeling agency and she was in high demand, sort of the "it" girl at the moment, branching out into doing commercials and music videos.

She was only twenty years old and had her own apartment which was in Damon's building and that's how she and Bonnie met when they both were working out in the fitness center located on the first floor.

When Bonnie introduced them to each other, Damon knew instantly that Lacey was about that model life. She just had that look about her that said that she would do any and everything to get ahead.

And he was right.

Lacey lived in the fast lane, going to parties every night and networking, trying to get her name out there as much as possible, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing because that's what everyone did in New York, however it was what went on at these parties that Damon had a problem with because he dated a model when he first moved to New York and for a while he got caught up in her glamorous lifestyle, but once he got a real good look into the belly of the beast which was the modeling industry and he saw what went on behind the scenes, Damon wanted no part of it and he got out.

So being a grown man and not being able to handle that type of lifestyle, Damon knew for a fact that someone as young and innocent as Bonnie couldn't.

So no, Damon didn't approve of Bonnie's friendship with Lacey Porter and that's why he questioned her about hanging out with the twenty year old model.

Bonnie looked at Damon curiously, not understanding the sudden third degree. "Who said anything about going out...she invited me down to her apartment for dinner."

The frown cleared from Damon's brows. "Oh...sorry."

Bonnie gave him a funny look before shaking her head. "_Okay..._well, I'm going to go then."

When she left out the door he turned back to Elena to find her watching him. "What was that about?"

"I don't like Bonnie hanging out with that girl." He said, coming to stand at the table and began helping to unpack the groceries.

"Why? What's wrong with her?"

Damon shrugged not really wanting to go into detail. "Bonnie's an innocent, small town girl...I just don't want her getting caught up in something she can't handle."

Elena snorted. "She's about to be eighteen, Damon...trust me she's not that innocent."

His jaw tensed. "Bonnie is a good girl, Elena...so stop."

_A good girl?_ What the hell was that supposed to mean? But then Elena's face became incredulous when she realized what he was getting at. "Are you telling me that she's never fucked anyone before...that she's a _virgin_?"

She said virgin like it was something disgraceful to be.

Damon just looked at her.

* * *

"So you lied and said that we were having dinner together?"

Bonnie plumped down on the sofa next to Lacey as she sat hunched over her feet propped up on the coffee table, painting her toe nails.

"I had to." Bonnie groaned, leaning back on the sofa, throwing her arm over her eyes. "I just can't take being around them...it hurts too much."

"Gawd Bonnie, if you're so miserable why don't you just tell Damon that you're in love with him?"

Bonnie gasped, sitting up. "Are you crazy?"

Lacey turned her head to the left to look at the younger girl. "What's the big deal?"

Bonnie stood up and began to pace the floor all flustered. "I could never tell him that!...H- He doesn't even see me in that way! He thinks I'm still a child for heavens sake...he pats me on the head at least once a day!"

Lacey chuckled.

Bonnie swung around to face her. "Hey, this is not funny! It's killing me watching him be with Elena and in a few months he's going to marry her!"

"Bonnie, calm down." Lacey said standing to her feet. She waddled over to her friend, placing her hands gently on the girl's shoulders.

Tears welled up in Bonnie eyes. "I can't calm down, Lacey... I love him so much...I've loved him since I was a little girl...I saved myself for him because I couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else."

Lacey squeezed her shoulders. "So then fight for him Bonnie...go after him, take some action!"

Bonnie sighed defeatedly. "But I told you Lacey, he's not interested in me that way."

Lacey smiled slyly. "Then make him be, Bonnie. It's not that hard to get a guy's attention. You're a beautiful girl, so half the battle is already won... and I'll help you with the other half." She chuckled.

Bonnie bit down on her bottom lip in uncertainty. She didn't want to play any games with Damon, but if she didn't do something fast, she would lose him.

So with her mind made up, Bonnie squared her shoulders. "Then tell me what to do...I'm listening."


	5. Chapter 5

The first time Damon Salvatore met Elena Gilbert, he thought she was a total bitch.

It was at an art gallery opening in SoHo that Damon was roped into attending by his friend Enzo, who at the time was banging the featured artist.

Bored out of his mind, Damon wondered around the show room looking at the stupid sculptures that looked like pieces of junkyard scrape metal welded randomly together.

After circling the room once, he spotted Elena standing alone in front of one such hideous creation and liking what he saw, he went over to her.

She immediately shot him down, walking away and leaving him standing there feeling like a fool.

That had _never_ happened to Damon before and it was a total shock to his ego.

But it wasn't so much her dissing him that got to Damon, it was the way she looked at him like he wasn't fit to lick the soles of her Louis Vuitton's.

That's what really irked the hell out of him.

And it couldn't have come at a worst time because not even a week before Damon was so kindly put in his place and got schooled in the difference between old and _new_ money, which he was definitely the latter.

And here Damon was thinking that all money was the same.

Not true, especially in the social circle Damon now found himself in.

He was surrounded by New York's upper-crust. Their money went back generations. They weren't rich, they were wealthy.

So Damon's _little_ meager success on Wall Street meant absolutely nothing to them.

They weren't impressed.

And Elena Gilbert was a member of that elitist class of wealthy assholes who looked down their snooty noses at him.

She exuded breeding and culture that could only come from having grown up with money. She was a fucking snob and represented a status that Damon would never be able to obtain no matter how many millions he made.

But _she_ on the other hand was obtainable.

Ms. Thing had a pussy between her legs just like any other woman and if he really wanted it, he could get it.

Yeah, she would be a challenge, but Damon liked challenges. He thrived on them. They only made him better.

Needless to say, the Italian immigrant who made good in the land of opportunity got the girl.

It may have taken a little time, but he got her none the less.

That was a year ago and now they were to be married in a few months.

To say that life was full of surprises was very much an understatement.

* * *

It was Sunday afternoon and just like every other man in America, Damon's attention was centered on the the football game.

Bonnie grabbed the spinach dip and bowl of pita chips from off the kitchen counter and went to join him.

Damon was a die hard football fan. He favorite time were the Patriots and they were winning at the present moment.

Bonnie sat the food down onto the coffee table, inadvertently blocking the TV and Damon growled at her.

Bonnie squeaked when she felt herself being lifted off her feet and thrown unceremoniously onto the sofa and out of the way of Damon's precious game.

Flicking the hair from her face, Bonnie righted herself, sitting up.

She kicked his leg with her bare foot. Damon ignored it.

Not liking being ignored Bonnie said the first thing that popped into her head. "I hope the Patriots get their asses handed to them!"

Blue eyes no longer looking at the television, but trained on her was enough to make Bonnie want to get off the sofa, but Damon had anticipated her move and grabbed that same small foot that had just kicked him moments ago and held it hostage in his strong grasp.

"What did you just say?"

Laughing, Bonnie tried unsuccessfully to dislodge her foot. "Let go of me!" She kicked him with the other foot and Damon grabbed that one as well.

He then pulled her to him and flipped Bonnie onto her her stomach across his lap with every intention of giving her a few smacks to the butt as punishment for uttering such a thing in his house, but he got distracted, noticing for the first time the tiny blue shorts she was wearing underneath her Patriots jersey that matched his own and how fantastic her ass looked in them.

Her ass looked like two perfectly shaped half-moons.

Damon cleared his throat, dropping his hand. He let Bonnie go.

She squirmed out of his lap, shoving his arm playfully as she sat up. "Jerk."

Damon sat forward, suddenly interested in the spinach dip and pita chips. "Maybe you should go put on some jeans or something...aren't you cold in those little shorts?"

Bonnie frowned looking at him chew. "No...I mean maybe if I was outside I would be cold, but I'm not. I'm inside where it's nice and warm."

Even though there wasn't a commercial break Damon got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen to grab a beer from the refrigerator.

He twisted off the top and tipped the cold bottle to his lips, feeling very uncomfortable with where his thoughts strayed to just moments ago.

For the rest of the game, there was a weird tension in the room that Bonnie just couldn't explain, but felt none the less.

* * *

Later that night Bonnie was on the phone with Lacey who was in California shooting another music video and she told her friend about what happened earlier with Damon and how odd he was acting with her now.

Lacey smiled on the other end of the phone, knowingly. "Well Bonnie, it looks like all it took was a pair of booty shorts to shatter that little girl image Damon has of you. Congratulations."

Bonnie was quiet on her end of the line, not saying anything. It didn't feel like much of a victory not if it meant Damon was going to be weird around her now.

"Bonnie?" Lacey questioned when she didn't respond accordingly.

Lacey thought the younger girl would be jumping for joy. She finally got what she wanted.

"I have to go Lace. I'll see you when you get home, okay." She said, somewhat down.

"But Bonnie..."

"Goodnight." Bonnie said, hanging up.

She didn't get one ounce of sleep that night, trying to think of a way to fix things with Damon.

* * *

The next morning Bonnie got up extra early and made Damon breakfast. She was dressed in loose fitting sweat pants and an oversized shirt with her hair up in a messy bun. She was placing his plate down on the table when Damon walked in, fixing his tie, looking like he was in a hurry.

"I made breakfast." She said, looking at him hopefully. "Bacon and scrambled eggs." She turned around to the island and grabbed her surprise. "I even have sliced red tomatoes, lightly salted with freshly ground black pepper, your favorite."

Bonnie just knew that he wouldn't be able to resist her breakfast now.

"Sorry, can't. I have to get going."

Disappointment filled her. She had hoped that this morning things would be back to normal between them, but Damon still wouldn't look at her and her disappointment suddenly turned into angrier.

"Liar." She said, swallowing hard. "You don't have to be at work for another hour which gives you plenty of time to have breakfast." Her eyes daring him to refute her.

Bonnie was tired of the elephant in the room and decided to address it head on. She wasn't going to play coy and act like she didn't know what was going on with him.

"So you finally noticed that I have a booty...frankly, I say it's about time. I'm not a little girl anymore Damon."

He froze.

"But I'm guessing what has you all out of sorts is the fact that you liked what you saw...is that it?" She asked boldly, cocking her brow.

On the outside she was as cool as a cucumber, but on the inside Bonnie was freaking the fuck out!

She couldn't believe this was coming out of her mouth.

Damon's jaw ticked and Bonnie ignored the warning glint in his blue eyes and continued unfazed. Stupidly letting her mouth write a check that her ass wasn't ready to cash, but she went with it.

"Because if that's the case, it's really not a big deal...unless... you make it one." She said with a bravado that wasn't totally fake.

Damon was speechless.

He'd known this girl since literally the day she was born and here she was standing in front of him, being somewhat suggestive, but not quite and Damon was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, wanting to believe she didn't know what she was doing, but damn if she wasn't looking at him like a woman looks at a man and that's what was throwing him off.

Having had enough of this, Damon marched over to Bonnie, quickly closing the distance between them.

When he got to her, he tilted her head back towards the recess lighting and lifted up her eyelids one at a time to check if her pupils were dilated.

"Are you fucking high right now?" Because that was the only thing that would explain what was happening right now.

"Damon!"She yelled in annoyance. "I'm not high!"

"Then what in the hell has gotten into you?!" He growled, letting go of her but still in her face.

She'd seen Damon's temper a number of times over the years, but this was the first time she was on the receiving end of it.

It could have been very intimidating if she didn't know him so well.

"Will you stop growling at me...god, I hate when you do that...you sound like some big bear!" She said, pushing him.

Damon trapped Bonnie against the kitchen island, towering over her tiny frame and she lost some of that bravado that had her spewing at the mouth only moments ago.

"And like with any bear, it's never wise to poke him with a stick."

Bonnie swallowed hard as she stared up at him.

His eyes dropped to her mouth.

For one crazy second, Bonnie thought he was going to kiss her. Her heart rate sped up and her breathing quickened, causing her chest to heave up and down.

And when his head began to lower towards hers, Bonnie softly gasped, her green eyes widening.

His mouth continued to get closer and closer to hers, but at the very last second when she could feel his warm breath brush against her skin, she jerked her head back, totally punking out.

The moment he smirked, Bonnie wanted to kick herself.

"Just remember Baby, having a woman's body doesn't necessarily make you a woman. Don't be in such a rush to grow up." He said and then had the nerve to pinch her cheek.

Bonnie growled, pushing him off her.

Damon laughed, straightening his suit jacket and tie.

That would teach her. Next time she'd think twice before playing games with him.

* * *

Bonnie was fuming.

How could she let him punk her out like that?!

Bonnie was so mad with herself. But she was even more mad at Damon which was why when the phone rang and the caller Id displayed Hadley and Hardison she didn't pick up.

The answering machine picked up and seconds later Damon's voice filled the room. "Bonnie, I know you're there, so pick up the phone. I got something important to tell you." He waited a few seconds and then continued. "Fine, be that way...a law firm in the professional building where I work is looking to hire a receptionist. I got you an one o'clock interview for today. Bonnie? You there?"

At his office, Damon sighed into the phone, hanging up. He sat at his desk, wondering if she would go.

Hearing about that job couldn't have come at a better time. It was perfect for Bonnie. Of course he had to call in a few favors in order to get her the job, but she didn't need to know that it was already hers. She still had to technically interview because it was protocol.

Damon desperately wanted to get Bonnie away from Lacy. That girl's influence on her was not acceptable and what happened that morning just proved it.

* * *

About a quarter to two, Janice buzzed into his office. "Mr. Salvatore, there's a Ms. Bennett here to see you."

Damon smiled. "Show her in."

Moments later, Janice was ushering Bonnie into his office. Damon's eyes widened in surprise when he saw her.

Bonnie was dressed in a form fitting, black skirt suit with matching three inch Mary Jane pumps and her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail.

She looked very corporate America, fitting in perfectly.

"That will be all Janice, thank you."

His assistant closed the door.

"So are congratulations in order?" He asked from behind his desk, knowing damn well that they were.

Bonnie walked around his office with a frown on her face. Just like with his apartment, Damon's office wasn't him at all. It was too damn modern and sleek looking. This had Elena written all over it.

"I don't know." She said, not looking at him but at a really ugly vase instead. She was still somewhat embarrassed about what happened that morning.

"The guy who interviewed me said I would be hearing from HR in a few days. But I doubt if I'll get the job... it pays like thirty-five thousand a year. They're looking for someone with experience, which I don't have."

That damn Donaldson, Damon thought to himself, his jaw tensing. But then he cooled his jets. He realized that the man was just trying to make things look legit. Bonnie would probably get the call within a day or so saying she got the job.

"You never know, so don't be so pessimistic." His eyes traveled over her business attire once again. "So where did you get the clothes?"

Bonnie smiled for the first time, turning around to face him. "This suit is amazing right?" She said pressing her hands down the sides. "I borrowed it from Lacey's closet. She left me a key to her apartment so I can feed her cat while she's away."

"So have you had lunch yet?" He asked, not wanting to discuss the model.

"No, I was too nervous over the interview to eat anything." She said, finally forcing herself to make direct eye contact with him.

"Then let's go eat. There's a terrific deli just down the block that makes delicious hot turkey sandwiches." He said, getting up from his desk and grabbing his jacket.

* * *

By the end of the week, Bonnie received the call from human resources. She couldn't believe it. She got the job! Bonnie was in shock all day. She couldn't wait for Damon to get home, so that she could tell him the great news.

She'd gotten over her embarrassment of what happened with him days ago, but their dynamic was forever changed because of it.

When Damon walked through the door that night, all of that tension between them was forgotten as she ran to him, jumping into his arms.

"I got the job!" She screamed happily, wrapping her legs around him and hugging him tightly.

It had been years since she did that. Damon laughed, happily. "See, I told you. Congratulations!"

"I can't believe it Damon...I can't believe they actually hired me!"

"Why wouldn't they, Baby...you're amazing." He said, burying his face in her hair.

Bonnie pulled back at that exact moment and the corner of her mouth brushed against his.

Both of them froze. Their warm breath were the only thing that stirred as they stared at each other.

"Bonnie?" Damon whispered on a strangled breath, looking at her like he was truly seeing her for the first time.

Not punking out this time, she firmly pressed her lips against his.


	6. Chapter 6

Damon gently pulled away from the kiss. "No Bonnie." He said softly, his hand pressed lightly against her cheek as he searched her eyes.

He placed her down on her feet and Bonnie immediately dropped her gaze from his, unable to look at him.

Damon stared at her bowed head. He honestly didn't know what to say right now.

Such humiliation filled Bonnie. She wanted to sink into the floor and disappear from sight, anything to distance herself from this moment.

"If I've done anything to lead you to believe that this was okay to do then I apologize." He said, softly.

Oh god. Bonnie wanted to die.

Tears filled her eyes. Still not looking at him, she shook her head. "No, you haven't done anything. This was all me and I'm sorry." She said, biting her trembling lip about to cry, but desperately trying to hold it back and keep her composure.

"Bonnie..."

"No." She interrupted, shaking her head once again, sniffing. "You've been nothing but good to me and I'm sorry for kissing you like that. I crossed the line and I apologize...it'll never happen again."

Damon could hear the tears in her voice. Bonnie made a move to leave, but he stopped her by gently grasping her arm and holding her still.

Closing her eyes, Bonnie couldn't take it. "Oh god Damon, please just let me go!" She begged on a soft sob, fighting back her tears. "I've already made enough of a fool of myself!"

He dropped his hand from her arm and Bonnie couldn't get out of there fast enough, going into her bedroom and closing the door.

And the tears flowed. She covered her face, sliding to the floor with her back pressed against the door. What was wrong with her?

She read everything wrong...the way he looked at her...the way he said her name. Was that moment all in her head? Did she imagine it?

Bonnie felt like such a fool, but more than that, she was hurting because she loved Damon so much and for him to never feel that way about her was too much to bear.

* * *

The following morning when she didn't come out for breakfast Damon went to Bonnie's bedroom and knocked on the door. It came ajar and he pushed it open to find the room empty.

He frowned.

Bonnie must have left while he was out picking up breakfast.

He pulled her door back closed and returned to the kitchen where he had breakfast alone.

* * *

When Damon came home later on that afternoon from playing racket ball, he could hear music coming from Bonnie's bedroom.

He dropped his gym bag to the floor and went to her room. He hadn't seen her since last night and he wanted to make sure she was okay.

Bonnie was sitting on top of her bed knitting what looked to be a scarf.

That's right. He remembered years ago Nonna teaching Bonnie how to knit and if he remembered correctly he think his grandmother also taught her how to sew.

"I see you've gotten pretty good at that." He said from the door, watching how fast she worked the needles.

She didn't respond.

Damon looked over at the small sound system that he never used anymore and stored away in this room. Bonnie played it all the time, listening to the radio.

He figured that she didn't hear him over the music.

She was so weird.

Bonnie was the only person he knew who still listened to the radio. She liked to listen to it while she cooked as well as when she cleaned up.

He walked into her room and lowered the volume.

Her head snapped up and she stiffed when she saw him.

"You're pretty good at that." He said, pointing down at her knitting. He stood at the foot of her bed, trying to act as normal as possible, hoping that she would relax.

"Thank you." She said swallowing hard, carefully placing the needles down to her lap.

At least she was making direct eye contact with him again, Damon thought.

"I missed you at breakfast this morning. I had donuts and everything." He said after a moment to fill the silence.

"Oh…sorry. Lacey's back from LA. We hung out for a little while...you know to catch up." It was more like Bonnie crying on Lacey's shoulder as she told her everything that happened.

More awkward, uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"So, you ready for your first day of work on Monday?"

"Yeah." She answered, her eyes straying from his.

It was painfully clear that she wanted him to leave her room.

Damon cleared his throat, but plowed ahead. "I know you need some work clothes..."

She cut him off not giving him a chance to finish what he was going to say. "Oh, Lacey said I can raid her closet and take what I want. She has tons of suits and dresses that she's gotten from designers that she's never even worn before."

"Bonnie don't be ridiculous. Lacey is like four inches taller than you. Her clothes won't fit you properly and your appearance has to be on point considering you're going to be the first person of contact when people walk into the law firm."

"I know how to hem and sew, Damon. So, I'm good...but I appreciate your concern."

Bonnie's whole demeanor was off. It was like she was trying to distance herself from him.

Damon wasn't having it.

"You're going to be working long hours and you won't have time to be altering clothes. So put on some shoes and grab a jacket, we'll leave in a few minutes." He said before walking out of her room.

* * *

Bonnie didn't say much in the car. It was a long ass drive.

When they entered the upscale department store, she was whisked away by the sales lady, being taking into the back dressing room to be measured.

Afterwards, Bonnie was given clothes to try on and Damon was waiting when she came out of the dressing room. He was sitting in a chair with a glass of champagne on the small table beside him.

It was like out of the scene of Pretty Woman.

When he saw the pants suit, he frowned. "No that won't do…go back in and try on something else."

"Excuse me?" Bonnie turned to look at herself in the mirror. "This looks perfectly fine."

"If you worked at the DMV…but you don't… you work for a top notch corporate law firm Bonnie therefore you have to look _polished _and this ain't it. Now go try on something else."

Three hours later, they were finally done or rather Damon was finally satisfied.

Bonnie now had a complete wardrobe of stylish work clothes that consisted of fitted blazers, blouses, pants, dresses and skirts that she could mix and match; three pairs of four inch pumps, a pair of black boots, a pair of flats, stockings, tights, a Ralph Lauren tote bag and a gorgeous cashmere wrapped coat.

* * *

Bonnie really liked her new job and she picked up things really quickly. She was so proud of herself when she got the hang of that damn switchboard. It took a few days, but she eventually learned how to work it.

All of the lawyers at the firm were real assholes, except for a small few who always spoke to her when they entered the office and said good morning. She was trained by a woman named Brett who'd work there for nine years. She started off working as the receptionist and was now a legal assistant.

Bonnie managed to make a couple of new friends on the job. Both were interns and they were only a couple of years older than her.

Kol was from Australia and went to NYU, and Anna was the daughter of one of the partners.

She'd gotten into a little trouble over the summer and her father pulled some strings making this internship working at the firm into her community service.

The three of them hung out a lot and on the weekends Bonnie and Anna would go to the frat parties at NYU and that's were Bonnie met Matt Donovan.

He was a senior, studying Business and Finance and he was drop dead gorgeous.

He had blonde hair and blue eyes, the all American boy if ever there was one and he was crazy about Bonnie the moment he laid eyes on her.

He kept trying to pick her up. Like literally. He'd had a few too many beers and he just thought she was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen in his life and he couldn't get over how tiny she was. The top of her head didn't even reach his shoulder. He kept following her around the party until finally she cussed him out, telling him to piss off.

"But I just want to get to know you." He said pitifully.

"Then do it when you're sober!" She snapped because he'd brought her to that point.

"Alright then." He said with a determined look on his face and walked away.

Bonnie sighed in relief, thinking that she was finally rid of the guy.

But what she didn't know was that Matt had one of his frat brothers dump two buckets of ice cold water on his head.

He then took a hot shower and got dressed, coming back to the party.

Sober.

Bonnie and Anna were standing in the corner of the room talking when he interrupted them. "Excuse me…hi, I'm Matt." He said sticking out his hand to her. "I just wanted to introduce myself to you properly."

Anna leaned into Bonnie's side, dying. "Oh my god…he actually went and sobered up."

Bonnie took note and keeping her word, extended her hand. "Hi Matt, I'm Bonnie...it's nice to meet you."

They talked for the rest of the night and Matt turned out to be a really nice guy when he wasn't drunk and making a fool of himself.

Before she could leave the party that night, Matt asked Bonnie out.

For a split second, she was going to say no. It was an automatic default response for her whenever guys asked her out.

"_If I've done anything to lead you to believe that this was okay to do then I apologize."_

Bonnie pushed the painful memory of that night to the back of her mind, swallowing hard. "I'd love to."

* * *

"My god Bonnie, I swear you're such an old lady." Lacey said laying across Bonnie's bed as she tried to figure out what to wear on her date with Matt. He was taking her to a concert.

Bonnie laughed. "Why? Because I don't want to wear my back out. Summer's over Lace, it's 45 degrees outside."

Lacey rolled her eyes. "You'll wear a coat."

"Look, I'm not going to freeze my tail off just to impress some guy."

The model snorted in response. "I bet you would if it was Damon taking you out."

Bonnie swung her head around so fast her hair smacked her in the face. What was Lacey doing? She knew Damon was home. "Lace!" She hissed, her head nodding towards the open bedroom door. She crossed the room, closing it shut.

"Sorry."

"You can't say things like that when you're here!"

"Bonnie relax, he didn't hear me."

"You have to be more careful. Things are already weird with us. Don't make it worse." Bonnie said, going back over to her closet.

A part of her wanted to call Matt and cancel the date. It didn't feel right going out with him. As crazy as it may sound, she felt like she was being disloyal to Damon.

It was so ridiculous, which was exactly why she had to go.

She couldn't keep putting her life on hold waiting for something that was never going to happen.

Lacey got off the bed, going over to her friend. "Well I think Damon Salvatore is a fool. You're so amazing Bonnie and if he can't see that then fuck him and that uptight anorexic bitch he's going to marry."

A tiny laugh escaped Bonnie's mouth. "She does need to eat a sandwich."

"Or like fifty." Lacey retorted. "And this is going from a model."

Both girls looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

* * *

Damon wiped his greasy hands with a paper towel before getting up from the table and leaving his Philly cheese steak to answer the door.

Matt's blue eyes widened in surprise when he saw Damon. "Oh man, I'm sorry. I have the wrong apartment." He said, turning away.

Damon shrugged about to close the door until he heard Matt say under his breath. "I could have sworn the doorman said Bonnie lived in 4A."

"Bonnie?" Damon's brow furrowed.

Matt paused, turning back to him."Ah yeah. Bonnie Bennett. She lives in this apartment building. Do you know her? She left my name with security so that I could come up, but the guy gave me the wrong apartment."

So many thoughts were running through Damon's head. "No he didn't. You have the right apartment, but the question is why are you here?"

Taken aback by Damon's bluntness, Matt slightly stumbled on his words. "A-Ah, w-we have a date."

"That's right Damon, he's Bonnie's _date... _so stop being rude and let him in." Lacey said from behind him.

Damon's jaw tensed. She came to stand at his side. "Hi Matt, I'm Lacey, Bonnie's friend."

Matt smiled at her, happy to see a kind face. "Hi Lacey, it's nice to me you."

"Bonnie will be out in a second." She told him.

Matt was so fucking nervous that he was starting to sweat underneath his right armpit.

Lacey turned to Damon. "So what are you going to do tonight?" She couldn't help herself, wanting to rub it in that Bonnie had a hot date.

Matty Blue Eyes was gorgeous. Way to go Bonnie!

Damon did that thing with his eyes where he looked like a homicidal maniac. "Weren't you leaving?"

Lacey snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Um, can I get by." Bonnie said from behind them.

Both Damon and Lacey turned their heads at the same time with two completely different expressions on their faces when they saw Bonnie.

Lacey had a huge smile on her face while Damon was frowning.

Bonnie was wearing the backless top!

She looked fucking amazing, pairing the black top with some fitted gray jeans and biker boots.

Lacey moved back, giving Bonnie room to pass.

Matt gulped when he saw her. Bonnie smiled up at him. "Hi."

"Hi." He responded. Matt shook his head in amazement. "You look gorgeous."

He looked at her with such appreciation in his eyes that Bonnie bit her bottom lip, trying not to blush. "Thanks."

"You ready to go?" Matt asked.

"Yes, I'm ready." Bonnie said, slipping on her coat and placing a scarf around her neck.

"Have fun Bonnie." Damon spoke up from behind her.

She smiled up at Matt. "I will."

Matt returned her smile with one of his own. "Then let's go." He said, surprising Bonnie by taking her hand.

Damon and Lacey watched as the two walked to the elevator.

"Did you see the way he looked at her?" Lacey asked in general, not really expecting an answer. "

Yeah Damon saw.

"Matt looks like he's already halfway in love with her... Bonnie says he's from Georgia... and you know those southern boys...they marry real young." She said, letting that marinate for a second. She finally turned her head towards Damon. "Can you imagine it? Bonnie married... and pushing out beautiful little blue eyed babies?"

Damon watched as Bonnie and Matt got onto the elevator laughing.

"Lacey."

"Yes?"

"Go home."


End file.
